Flak 20mm
The Wehrmacht preferred placing its air defense in the hands of its fighters rather than in ground AA (Fliegerabwehrkanone, a.k.a. "FlaK" guns). Despite this doctrine, the Wehrmacht ordered the 20 mm FlaK 30 guns to protect key strategic areas. Towed, and with limited range, it needs to be used in great numbers, ideally spread around the defended area and concealed to avoid early detection. The FlaK cannon is best used in combination with fighters to set up an effective air defense screen. There were other variants of the FlaK 20 mm, such as the Quad FlaK 20 mm, which was not only on the Wirbelwind. History The Germans have fielded the unrelated early 2 cm FlaK 28 just after World War I, but the Treaty of Versailles outlawed these weapons and they were instead sold to Switzerland. The original FlaK 30 design was developed from the Solothurn ST-5 as a project for the Kriegsmarine, which produced the 20 mm C/30. The gun fired the "Long Solothurn", a 20 × 138 mm belted cartridge that had been developed for the ST-5 and was one of the most powerful 20 mm rounds in existence. The C/30 featured a barrel of 65 calibers, firing at a rate of about 120 rounds per minute. The C/30 also proved to have feeding problems and would often jam. This was offset to some degree by its undersized magazine, which held only 20 rounds, which tended to make reloading a common requirement anyway. Nevertheless the C/30 became the primary shipborne light AA weapon, and equipped a large variety of German ships. The C/30 was also used experimentally as an aircraft weapon, notably on the Heinkel He 112, where its high power allowed it to penetrate armored cars and the light tanks of the era during the Spanish Civil War. Rheinmetall then started an adaptation of the C/30 for Army use, producing the 2 cm FlaK 30. Generally similar to the C/30, the main areas of development were the mount, which was fairly compact. Set-up could be accomplished by dropping the gun to the ground off its two-wheeled carriage and leveling with hand cranks. The result was a triangular base that allowed fire in all directions. The main problem with the design remained the fairly low rate of fire, which at 120 RPM was not particularly fast for a weapon of this caliber. Rheinmetall responded with the 2 cm FlaK 38, which was otherwise similar but increased the rate of fire to 220 RPM and slightly lowered overall weight to 420 kg. The FlaK 38 was accepted as the standard Army gun in 1939, and by the Kriegsmarine as the C/38. In order to provide airborne and mountain troops with AA capabilities, Mauser was contracted to produce a lighter version of the FlaK 38, which they introduced as the 2 cm Gebirgsflak 38 (2 cm GebFlaK 38). It featured a dramatically simplified mount lacking towing capability and using a tripod that raised the entire gun off the ground, which had the side-effect of allowing it to be set up on more uneven ground. These changes reduced the overall weight of the gun to a mere 276.0 kg. Production started in 1941 and entered service in 1942. Overview * The FlaK 20mm is an early defensive maneuver against recon aircraft and early fighters. Quick to mobilize than other AA guns, the FlaK 20mm is meant to be served in huge numbers, to provide overwhelming fire on incoming aircraft. Mini 'bases' of these guns can be set in towns or woods to ambush, or spread out in the middle of the map to fire on passing planes. * These FlaK guns are ineffective in smaller numbers. If you want to use these , group 5-10 under the cover of forests. That number will bring planes down effectively, especially paired with FlaK 88, that will deliver the killing blow. * These FlaK guns are effective against infantry, granted there are not too many of them to drop before the infantry overrun the position. The terror ruse comes in handy for this type of engagement. * The FlaK 20mm only has 18dps against aircraft where as the Bofors has 23dps. Weapons Gallery Flak20_700.jpg|In-game information Notes * The Flak 20mm has the exact same stats and image as the Italian Breda 20mm, excluding the $5 difference. See also * * Bofors * Camel * Breda 20mm * AA 37mm Category:Anti-aircraft guns Category:Artillery and anti-air base Category:1939 era